Side Pocket
A 1986 arcade billiards simulation with multiple ports and sequels.
Side Pocket is a pool simulation game that Data East first released in arcades in 1986. It later arrived on the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy, and an upgraded version came out for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Game Gear. The game led to two sequels and a spin-off arcade series called Pocket Gal. The intellectual property rights for the Side Pocket series are held by G-Mode, which handles global licensing.
The main single-player mode, Pocket Game, works like straight pool with a set number of lives. Players must hit a target score to move through four or five levels, each with more balls on the table. Points come from pocketing balls, sinking them on consecutive shots, or potting them in numerical order. Sometimes a flashing star appears in a pocket; if a player sinks a ball into that pocket on the same shot, they earn a bonus—points, extra lives, or entry to a bonus round. A life is lost if the cue ball is scratched or if the player fails to pocket a ball in two straight turns.
In two-player mode, players can choose Pocket Game or 9-Ball Game. In two-player Pocket Game, the rules are similar but without lives—players simply take turns, and control switches after a miss or scratch. In 9-Ball Game, each player starts with three lives, losing one for a foul, but lives are restored if the next shot is legal. The Game Boy and Game Gear versions add a practice mode, which is essentially a single-player version of 9-Ball Game.
Trick shot challenges are also available, letting players earn extra points or lives by potting all balls into selected pockets in a single shot. Players can apply left or right English, massé shots, and jump shots. The Genesis, Super NES, and Game Gear versions feature photo-realistic player characters that pay homage to the 1986 film *The Color of Money*, resembling Tom Cruise’s Vincent Lauria and Paul Newman’s Fast Eddie.
The NES port plays almost identically to the arcade original, but the Pocket Game mode has four levels and starts players with five lives instead of two. It also introduces four different rack configurations that later versions would use, while the arcade only had six-ball and nine-ball racks. The Game Boy version is a slight tweak of the NES version, with a smaller playing field to fit the screen, a new soundtrack, and a different layout. It keeps the four-level Pocket Game a
- Released
- 1986
- Developer
- Data East
- Genre
- Pocket billiards simulation
- Platforms
- Arcade, NES, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, Super NES, Game Gear
- IP Owner
- G-Mode
- Sequels
- Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend, Side Pocket 3
- Spin-off
- Pocket Gal series
Lore & Background
Side Pocket was released as an arcade video game by Data East in 1986. Its primary play mode, called 'Pocket Game', is a straight pool-like game set within a limited number of lives; the player must achieve a predetermined score to advance through four or five levels, each with an increasing number of balls. Points are earned by pocketing balls, pocketing balls on consecutive shots, and pocketing balls in numerical order. A flashing star occasionally appears in a pocket, and pocketing a ball into that pocket on the same shot awards a bonus in points, extra lives, or a bonus round. One life is lost if the player scratches or fails to pocket a ball in two consecutive turns. In two-player mode, players can choose between Pocket Game or 9-Ball Game. The Game Boy and Game Gear versions include an additional practice mode, which is a single-player version of 9-Ball Game. Trick shot challenges are also available, requiring the player to pot all balls into select pockets using a single shot, with the ability to apply various spins and perform massés and jump shots.
Reader's Guide
Side Pocket is significant as an early and influential arcade billiards simulation that was widely ported and remade, establishing a template for home console pool games. Its enhanced remakes on the Genesis, Super NES, and Game Gear featured photo-realistic representations of player characters, a homage to the 1986 film The Color of Money. The game's sequels, Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend and Side Pocket 3, expanded the series with additional game modes and perspectives. The spin-off Pocket Gal series, released exclusively in Japan and later in Europe, adapted the NES version with altered difficulty and hidden nudity. In Japan, Side Pocket was the eighth most-successful table arcade unit in August 1986 and the eighth highest-grossing table arcade game of 1987. The NES version was declared by Computer Gaming World as 'far and away the best billiards simulation ever published for any system.' The Super NES version received praise from GamePro for its variety of modes and realistic details, while the Game Gear version received mixed reviews for its graphics and sound. G-Mode now owns the intellectual property rights, ensuring the series continues to be licensed globally.
Did You Know?
- The Genesis, Super NES, and Game Gear versions feature photo-realistic representations of player characters that are a homage to the 1986 film The Color of Money.
- The Game Boy version includes a unique single-player nine-ball mode not found in other versions.
- The arcade spin-off Pocket Gal, released in Japan in 1987, includes hidden nudity as rewards for completing certain levels.
- G-Mode owns the intellectual property rights to the Side Pocket series and licenses these games globally.
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